Systems and methods for evaluating material for pulling rolls

#The present invention relates to improved methods and systems for evaluating properties of the material used in the manufacture of pulling rolls, which are used in the manufacture of sheet glass. Material properties such as compressibility, recovery and resiliency, and hardness can be measured under the present invention.

#Recently, significant attention has been focused on televisions and monitors that offer a larger and clearer viewing picture to a viewer. Such large screen devices typically use a large piece of sheet glass for the viewing surface. Pulling rolls are used in the manufacture of this sheet glass to apply tension to the ribbon of glass from which the sheets are formed, and thus to control the nominal sheet thickness. Typically, producing a pulling roll can take several hours. Pulling rolls are typically made from roll material, such as millboard, which is punched to produce disks that are fired and then pressed onto shafts to produce the pulling roll. These pulling rolls are subsequently cut on a lathe to a particular surface finish and are then contoured for installation into machines used in the production of sheet glass. If a pulling roll ultimately fails to meet certain standards for material properties (e.g., hardness), the roll must be taken apart and rebuilt. Because a set of two pulling rolls must be made with a single lot of material, if the material is unacceptable this results in significant losses in time and cost.

#Typically, the roll material is purchased according to broad material specifications, but there is no existing means of testing the incoming material under the conditions that it will be under when manufactured into pulling rolls. For example, when extreme pressure is applied to the pulling rolls, the material properties of compressibility, recovery and resiliency are of concern. In addition, the hardness of the material is of concern as a measure of how well the roll will endure thermal conditions and interface with the glass during production. If a lot of millboard material does not meet the desired specifications, this failure will be unknown until the pulling rolls have been manufactured and put to use. This results in significant losses in both time and cost.

#The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate certain aspects of the instant invention and, together with the description, serve to explain, without limitation, the principles of the invention.

#FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of a system for forming and testing a cartridge, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 1B is a perspective view of an exemplary anvil element of the system as shown in FIG. 1A, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

#The following description of the invention is provided as an enabling teaching of the invention in its best, currently known embodiment. To this end, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate that many changes can be made to the various embodiments of the invention described herein, while still obtaining the beneficial results of the present invention. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the present invention can be obtained by selecting some of the features of the present invention without utilizing other features. Accordingly, those who work in the art will recognize that many modifications and adaptations to the present invention are possible and can even be desirable in certain circumstances and are a part of the present invention. Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the present invention and not in limitation thereof.

#As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a “plate” includes embodiments having two or more such “plates” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

#Ranges can be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint.